Improving the value of Australian pulses through puffing

 S. P. Mukhopadhyay1,2, J. A. Wood1,3,P. D. Prenzler1,2, C. L. Blanchard1,4, A. J. Saliba5

1EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650; 2School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, CSU, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678; 3NSW DPI, Tamworth Agricultural Institute, Tamworth, NSW 2340; 4School of Biomedical Sciences, CSU, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678;

5School of Psychology, CSU, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678.

 

GRDC Project code: DAN00139

Keywords: chickpea, puffing, snack, sensory, health, consumer, Australia

Take home messages

  • Puffed chickpea is a healthy snack food popular in the Indian sub-continent.
  • This market is expanding in the Indian Sub-continent and has potential for substantial growth globally.
  • Only KyabraPBR logo showed a puffing yield high enough for this use.
  • An understanding of what seed attributes are important for puffing will open new market avenues for Australian chickpeas, increasing market share, demand and prices.

Introduction

In many countries, pulses and legumes are an integral part of the human diet, being one of the major sources of nutrients, proteins and energy. Pulses as a protein source enrich the nutritive value and palatability of the everyday diet in most of the developing countries of the world. With consumer awareness towards health foods, pulses have been gaining popularity as a high-fibre, low-fat, non-animal protein food. Yet lower than expected consumption of pulses can be attributed to lack of knowledge about their method of preparation (Lacey, 2004).

 

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum), one of the major cultivated pulse crops, has performed well across a broad range of agro-climatic conditions in Australian farming systems. According to the FAO database (2010), Australia ranked first in 2009 in exporting chickpeas to other countries. Today, Australia is considered one of the world’s leading chickpea exporters, especially of desi chickpeas to the Indian sub-continent market including Bangladesh and Pakistan (Pulse Australia, 2012).

 

India is considered one of the biggest growers related to pulse markets, contributing 25% of world production (Price et al., 2003). Even with this high pulse production in India, national stocks are not sufficient to accommodate the current Indian demand. As chickpea is one of the most popular pulses in India, there is potential to further increase the market share of Australian chickpeas in the Indian sub-continent.

 

The present scenario

As a general guideline for exporting any food items to a country, it is a pre-requisite to understand the consumption pattern of that particular food along with the market trends in the target country. An authentic Indian cuisine will have chickpeas cooked in different ways in its everyday menu. Chickpeas are the major ingredient in many main dishes, side dishes, deserts and snack foods. When Australian chickpeas are exported to the Indian market, it is of utmost importance to know in which recipes those chickpeas are being utilised. For example, one chickpea genotype suited for flour or ‘besan’ in a flat-bread may not be suitable for making puffed or parched products. The intended use will determine the kind of traits or characteristics those chickpeas should ideally have.

 

Desi chickpeas were predominantly exported to India in bulk quantities and varietal segregation rarely occurred.  The feedback received was mostly from Indian traders, which has been inconsistent and might reflect a trader’s objective to drive down prices. On top of that, there were no consumer surveys or market research available to address this particular issue. Therefore, a better understanding of the consumption pattern and the key attributes behind Indian consumers’ preferences towards Australian chickpeas is essential. Knowledge about the use of Australian chickpeas will lead to better strategic planning of future demands and allow us to anticipate changes in future market trends.

 

Why should we select chickpeas with better puffing qualities?

The Indian chickpea market is highly segmented based on consumption, geographic location, cultural preferences, demographic variation and diversity in consumer liking towards chickpea products. Puffing is one of the noted primary processing methods and has been practised for many years in the Indian sub-continent. Puffing is a cooking method where chickpeas are subjected to high temperature for a short time without oil, leading to a product with lower bulk density, porous, crisp, crunchy texture and a distinct appealing flavour.

 

In India, 'phutana' or puffed chickpea is a high-protein, low-fat snack food after spicing or sweetening (Pratape and Kurien, 1986; Khan, 1991). Puffed chickpeas are popularly consumed pulse-based snack foods in East, West and South India (Agbola et al., 2002). Chickpea is generally considered a better species for producing superior quality puffed products compared to other grain legumes. Puffing enriches the nutritive value by destroying the flatulence factors (Bhattacharya and Prakash, 1997) of the grain legume. Because no oil is required during preparation, puffing stands out as an alternate to frying for today’s health-conscious consumers. Hence puffed chickpeas, already a common snack food in India, also have the potential for significant growth in western societies. For example, the healthy snack food industry holds approximately 5% of the total US food market, worth  $20-30 billion in sales annually. The healthy snack market has shown an estimated annual growth of 1 to 4% which is approximately 8.5-20% more growth than the overall US food market (PricewaterhouseCoopers Transaction Services, 2009).

 

Rationale behind the current study

Although there were various studies reported in the literature showing suitability of different Indian cultivars of desi chickpeas for puffing (Hira and Chopra, 1995; Bhattacharya and Prakash, 1997), knowledge of Australian desi chickpea performance in this respect was lacking.

 

The aims of the current study were:

  1. To benchmark the puffing potential of Australian desi chickpea genotypes against common Indian cultivars; and
  2. To screen Australian genotypes for puffing quality.

 

If an Australian chickpea puffs to the same extent, or better than the Indian cultivars, it could be marketed in a way that would achieve price premiums and increase demand, thereby improving the value and export potential of Australian chickpeas in general. By investigating the range of puffing abilities in a selection of current breeding lines and understanding their desirable sensory attributes, the Australian breeding program will be able to actively select for chickpeas suited to this end-use. This work is part of a bigger study to improve the quality, export potential and optimal market positioning of Australian desi chickpeas in the Indian sub-continent and globally.

Materials and methods

Materials

Study 1: The first study aimed to benchmark the puffing potential of Australian desi chickpea genotypes against Indian cultivars. 12 genotypes of chickpea were selected to include 8 common Indian cultivars and 4 Australian genotypes with diverse genetic backgrounds. The Indian cultivars were Annegeri, Cheffe, BG 212, JG 11, ICCC 37, JG 130, JAKI 9218, and JG 14. The Australian genotypes were Amethyst, YorkerPBR logo, 9105-33N and 90101-57-Q.

 

Study 2: The second study, included 11 Australian genotypes of desi chickpeas, was undertaken to screen Australian genotypes for puffing quality. The genotypes were CICA 0912, CICA 1111, CICA 1007, CICA 1102, CICA 1213, CICA 1220, CICA 0709, Jimbour, HattrickPBR logo, BoundaryPBR logo and KyabraPBR logo. The chickpea seeds were stored at 25°C in a cycling temperature controlled abinet to replicate the storage condition in the traditional Indian grocery stores. All measurements were taken in triplicate.

Method

Puffing process: Figure 1 shows the puffing process for desi chickpeas. The methodology followed in both the studies was adopted as a reference for standardised processing conditions for puffing chickpeas in India (Pratape and Kurien, 1986).

 

Figure 1. Flow diagram of puffing process of chickpea.

Figure 1. Flow diagram of puffing process of chickpea.

 

Puffing properties: Desi chickpea genotypes were analysed for their puffing quality and performance by measuring the percentage seeds puffed. Seeds that appeared to be visually puffed (cracking/opening of the outer husk, golden yellow coloured cotyledon with volume expanded) were totalled and a puffed percentage (%) calculated by taking the ratio of the number of puffed chickpeas to the number of total chickpeas.

 

Results

Study 1: Figure 2 shows the puffing properties of Indian and Australian desi chickpea genotypes recorded in the first study. Of the 8 Indian desi chickpea cultivars investigated, 7 showed puffing ability and 1, BG 212, failed to puff. Only 3 Indian desi chickpea cultivars, namely JG 11, JG 130 and JAKI 9218, showed acceptable puffing quality by giving >30% seeds puffed. JG 11 and JG 130 were the best puffing cultivars with 67% and 61% seeds puffed, respectively.

 

All four Australian desi chickpea genotypes examined did not puff well. Only ‘90101-57-Q’ displayed slight puffability (1%) while the other 3 genotypes, YorkerPBR logo, 9105-33N and Amethyst did not puff at all.

 

Figure 2. Puffing properties of Indian and Australian desi chickpea in study 1.

Figure 2. Puffing properties of Indian and Australian desi chickpea in study 1.

 

Study 2: Figure 3 represents how Australian desi chickpea genotypes puffed in the second study. During puffing of 11 Australian genotypes, there was considerable variation found in puffing output. Of the 11 Australian genotypes screened, 5 showed puffing potential. KyabraPBR logo was the best puffing genotype with 51% seeds puffed. BoundaryPBR logo, CICA 1102 and CICA 0709 were the least preferred genotypes with <10% seeds puffed.

Figure 3. Puffing performance of Australian desi chickpea genotypes in study 2.

Figure 3. Puffing performance of Australian desi chickpea genotypes in study 2.

 

Discussion

Puffing is a complicated physiochemical process. One requirement for successful puffing is the internal moisture content and the permeability of the seed. Internal moisture is important during heating, which, because of high temperature, will be vaporised to create steam pressure and lead to rapid expansion in the puffing step. The permeability of the seed is likely to be influenced by the thickness of the seed coat, its morphology, the chemical composition of its surface, its toughness and integrity.

                                                                     

None of the Australian and only 3 of 8 Indian genotypes was found to be suitable for puffing in the first study. Further research needs to be done to understand their morphology, structure and chemical composition for understanding the reason behind poor puffing output. Compared to the Australian genotypes in the first study, puffing performance was better in the second study. The first study was carried out to measure the puffing feasibility of Australian desi chickpea genotypes, as no previous works were reported in the literature. In the second study, aim was to screen the Australian genotypes for their puffing potential. The successful puffed genotypes from study 2 will be taken forward to be included in sensory and consumer evaluation.

 

It was clear from both studies that chickpea seeds expand differently and only some genotypes are suitable for puffing. Traditionally, the preference of the processors in India has been towards certain chickpea genotypes grown in certain agro-climatic conditions known to produce superior puffed products with good aroma (Kurien, 1984).

Conclusion

The global snack food market is expanding rapidly. Puffed chickpeas can fill the demand for healthy snack foods in the future. Good puffing performance is important for a better consumer experience as well as for industrial profit. Preliminary results from these puffing studies show that some Australian chickpea genotypes have puffing ability. KyabraPBR logo was identified as the best puffing genotype, with 51% seeds puffed. This result in itself is an important discovery in recognising that Australian chickpeas do puff. A better understanding of the seed attributes that are important for puffing will help the Australian pulse industry to capture the growing healthy snack-food market in the Indian sub-continent and globally.

 

Way forward

Our next step is to understand consumer acceptance for puffed chickpeas. Sensory and consumer evaluations with both Indian and Australian consumers will elucidate key like and dislike drivers for each country. If relevant sensory quality attributes can be identified, it would be helpful for pulse breeders to select those traits. Which would in turn facilitate the establishment of guidelines for selection criteria in chickpea varietal development in light of consumer preference. This present work is one part of a larger study identifying end-use food quality traits in chickpea, field pea and faba bean to improve the marketability of Australian pulses through breeding improved cultivars.

References

Agbola, F.W., Kelley, T.G., Bent, M.J., & Parthasarathy Rao, P. (2002) Int Food Agrib. Mang.Rev., 5: 7-21.

Bhattacharya, S. & Prakash, M. (1997) Int J. Food Sci. Technol., 32: 81-4.

FAO database (2010) http://faostat.fao.org/, retrieved on 21/12/2012.

Hira, C.K. & Chopra, N. (1995) J. Food Sci. Technol., 32: 501-3.

Khan, M.A. (1991) Proceedings of Consultant meeting, 95-10.

Kurien, P.P. (1984) Proceedings of a Symp. on Increasing the pulse production in India-Constraints and opportunities, 405-14.

Lacey, J.M. (2004) Nutr. Diet., 61: 159-61.

Pratape, V.M., & Kurien, P.P. (1986) J. Food Sci Technol., 23: 127-30.

Price, G.K., Landes, R., & Govindan, A. (2003) Electronic Outlook report from the Economic Research Service, WRS-03-01, USDA.

PricewaterhouseCoopers Transaction Services (2009) Leveraging Growth in the Emerging Functional Foods Industry - Trends and market opportunities, Aug 2009, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Pulse Australia (2012) A Background to Global Pulse Market Drivers. Australia.

 

Contact details

Soumi Paul Mukhopadhyay

School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences

Charles Sturt University, Locked Bag 588, WAGGA WAGGA, NSW 2678

0405 230 274

smukhopadhyay@csu.edu.au

GRDC Project Code: DAN00139,